Trials of echo
by kelsium42
Summary: book 2 in my stories of Septimus and Echo. if you are liking this series let me know in the comments. i am still working on a new story with these charatures, so watch for it.


The trials of Echo.

It had been three years since Echo had bonded to Bumblebee, and left Septimus's tomb. She and Bee had come to be great friends. It was three years of fun, which Echo never expected to happen. She found herself laughing again, singing out loud, and discovering that she could be happy again.

However, her happiness was a little damp. For there was dark energy raising from the mountains, causing the world to have a musty taste in the air. Storms were tearing up the countryside, and lightening flashed through the gray skies.

The Autobots and their human friends huddled under anything they could find to hide from the driving rain that was trying its best to get them all wet. Bee and Echo were hiding under hood of and old pickup truck trying to get over to the awning of Danny's scraped restaurant. Grimlock was burying himself under a pile of umbrellas in desperation, when he saw Echo passing under Bumblebee's legs, and grabbed her.

He held her over his head, using her to shield him from the rain. She sighed in annoyance, then twisted in Grimlock's grip to kick him in the muzzle. Grimlock yelped and dropped her, he rubbed his nose as Echo ran back to Bumblebee. She folded her arms, and smiled at Grimlock, playfully.

"I am not that kind of Shield, Grim." Echo teased.

"Sorry, it is just really coming down hard." Grimlock apologized.

"We know," Bee said seriously, "I have never seen a storm this wet on Earth before."

"Neither have I," Echo agreed, "and I have been here longer then both of you."

"Well, I hope it stops soon. I don't like being wet." Grimlock pouted crossing his arms.

"Me too, Grim." Bumblebee laughed.

Grimlock stomped over to find some new shelter, and Bumblebee crawled under the overhang. Echo came to him, and climbed unto his lap. They snuggled together, and waited for the rain to stop.

Little did they know that the reason for the storm was not natural at all. It was being caused by a powerful Decepticon who called himself, Shockwave. He was once the greatest scientist on Cybertron, but he would go to extraordinary lengths to achieve what others couldn't. Because of this he was also one of Lord Megatron's most valuable servants.

He had been experimenting with a type of Energon that could resurrect the dead, but the stuff didn't truly bring them back. It only turned them in mindless zombies, with only the instinct to kill. Shockwave had been trying to find a way to fix that, and bring back thirteen of the strongest warriors that Cybertron had ever know, the original thirteen Primes. If he could revive them, then manipulate them to get his revenge on the Autobots, they wouldn't stand a chance.

They had killed his Master, ruined everything, and now he was sure he had found the way to kill them all. He was still on Cybertron, where the Autobots had left him, working in a secret lab far beneath the feet of the civilians of a minor Autobot city. He had found the remains of twelve Primes, but he wanted to make sure he would have complete control over them, before he tried to revive them.

He had tried cloning creatures before, but that didn't really end well. He was being more cautious this time, so he wouldn't lose control again. The storm on Earth was being caused by the vast amounts of power Shockwave was channeling from Earth's atmosphere.

He didn't want the Autobots still on Cybertron to grow suspicious of his operations, so instead of drawing on Cybertron's atmospheric energy. He was using Earth's to power his experiments on the Primes. This was the reason that it was raining so hard on Earth.

He was almost ready to try reviving them, but then he heard a Minicon's voice above him, in the subway below the surface. He talked about how the tomb of Septimus Prime had been found on Earth, and that his Minicon, Echo, was now bounded to Bumblebee, and no longer guarding it. He was talking to a friend about maybe going to see the tomb, and maybe to meet Echo.

"Has your Nero Net fried?" asked the first voice's companion, "Echo may not stand watch over the tomb, but she would still be furious if we entered it without her permission,"

"Well, maybe we could ask her." The first voice suggested.

"No, she won't let us. She only lets Optimus and Bumblebee into the tomb. She would kill us if we tried." The second voice said.

The two Minicons moved, on still arguing, until Shockwave could no longer hear their conversation. He was intrigued by the idea of also controlling Septimus, a legendary Prime.

"Thirteen would be more logical than twelve." He calculated his voice emotionless, and deep.

Shockwave stomped off to his space bridge. Which he had made out of scrap he had found, to be able to reach the resting places of the twelve he had already found. He set it for Earth, and stepped through the portal.

Chapter 2- stolen.

The storm continued to shower the Autobots with heavy rain, but even the rain wasn't enough to hide the sound of a space bridge portal opening in the mountains, not far from the scrapyard that was the Autobot base. The sound came from where a Cybertronian prison ship had crashed three years before. It had broken a hole in the mountain, and uncovered the entrance to Septimus's tomb. Now the space bridge was open at the same place.

Echo shrieked when Fix-it told them where the portal had opened, and forgetting her new partner, sprinted toward the tomb of her old partner. Bumblebee transformed into a car, and sped after her. He caught up to her, and drove alongside the speeding Minicon.

"Echo, hop on," Bee called to her, "we'll get there faster my way."

Echo took the invitation, and jumped onto Bumblebee's hood. She held onto the edge of his hood with one hand, while she drew one of her two battleaxes with the other. A terrified, worried light in her eyes.

Someone was breaking into her Septimus's tomb. The tomb she had built for him. Where she had said her finally goodbyes to the one she loved for so many years. When she got there, she swore she would cut the head off, whoever the intruder was.

Echo, and Bumblebee arrived at the tomb in time for Bee to catch a glimpse of Shockwave escaping threw his space bridge just before it closed. Echo didn't bother waiting for Bumblebee to catch up this time. She jumped off him and bolted down the tunnel that lead to the burial chamber.

Bumblebee followed, a deep dread in his spark. He had fought Shockwave before, and knew that if he was here, it wasn't for a good reason. Bee reached the chamber, and gasped.

The beautiful chamber was in ruins. The great archway that Echo had decorated, was now broken and scared by blaster shots. Huge sections of the walls lay broken on the floor, and all the carvings of Septimus and Echo's deeds were destroyed. In the center of the desecrated room stood the great sarcophagus that had held Septimus's body. Only now, the lid had been cleaved in two, and Septimus was gone.

Echo stood on the end of the empty coffin, staring into the sarcophagus, a great many emotions displayed on her face. Bumblebee couldn't imagine what she must have been going through. It was her worst nightmare come to life.

"Echo?" He asked concerned for her.

Echo didn't answer, but instead jumped into the unoccupied stone coffin. Bee walked over, and leaned over the edge of the coffin to look at Echo. She was on her knees, and she had dropped her battleaxes to the bottom of the sarcophagus. She turned her head up to Bumblebee, tears pouring down her face.

"He is gone, he has been stolen." She sobbed.

"I'm so sorry." He said softly, sympathizing for her.

"Who would do this to him?"

"Shockwave, why, what for?" Bumblebee wondered.

"Who is Shockwave?" Echo asked, her voice trembling.

"A Decepticon scientist, who likes to break the rules in science. If he took Septimus it is not for anything good." Bumblebee explained.

Echo's face cringed in fear. The thought of a Decepticon experimenting on Septimus, was so horrible, she wished that Septimus would show himself like before and tell her where he was. She could feel her spark reaching for him, but no answer came. Bumblebee reached down into the sarcophagus and Echo quickly ascended up his arm. A dark scowl in her blue eyes. One that promised death to all that met her gaze.

"I am going to tear him apart!" Echo growled, her axes flying back to her hands.

Bumblebee felt kind of bad for Shockwave, because he knew that Echo would never stop until she found Septimus, and returned him here. And that she really would rip Shockwave to shreds, when she caught him.

"Well we need to find him first. Then we can work on that." Bumblebee said.

"And my Septimus." She hissed.

"Yes him too." Bee corrected himself.

They left the tomb in a hurry. The other Autobots were waiting for them at the head of the cave, but they knew better then to go in. Bumblebee told them that Shockwave had destroyed the tomb and had stolen Septimus's body.

"What would anyone want with some dead guy's rusty old body anyway?" Sideswipe asked disgusted.

Echo pounced off Bumblebee's arm with blinding speed. She grabbed Sideswipe's foot, and he yelped as she threw him against the wall of the ship that made up part of the tunnel. She slammed his face onto the floor, and slid one axe across his cheek.

"He was not just some rusty old guy. Not to me. If I ever hear you say something like that about Septimus again, I will cut out your tongue. Do I make myself clear?" Echo barked angrily.

"Crystal." Sideswipe groaned out of the side of his smashed mouth.

Echo slipped off him, and looked up at her friends, at their shocked, and scared faces. She barred her teeth furiously, and started walking back to scrapyard. She didn't care. She had showed them that she still loved Septimus, and would not tolerate any kind of trash talk about him.

Fix-it was horrified when Echo told him what happened, and she put him to work immediately tracking down Shockwave. Bumblebee watched her go, not daring to stop her in her hunt for Septimus. He did feel a little shoved away, but he also knew that she had spent centuries with Septimus, and only three years with him. If he wanted to earn the same loyalty, he had to be patient, and respectful of her deceased best friend.

Sideswipe stood next to Bee rubbing his face. He too watched Echo and Fix-it wondering how Echo could be so strong. It was very confusing for him.

"I think Shockwave just unleashed the beast." Sideswipe commented to Bumblebee.

Bumblebee smiled, and nodded in agreement. Shockwave most certainly did.

Chapter 3 – Meeting with evil.

Echo did not sleep for a full week. She had Fix-it searching every nearby star system for Shockwave's signal, but so far was having no luck. When Fix-it quit, to get some rest. Echo kept going, her hate for the Decepticon who stole her Septimus growing stronger every second.

She thought back to when she and Septimus had first met. She was bonded to another bot, but when her partner tried to convince her to join with Megatronus; she refused, and ran away from him. She ran through the subways under Cybertron for miles, and literally ran into Septimus's leg. He had been down there with Prima, the leader of the Primes, hunting for her, and her master. At first she was terrified, because she thought that they would kill her. Which is what Prima tried to do with the Star Saber, but Septimus grabbed his arm, and stopped him.

He looked at her, and then bent to one knee. She was panting hard from all the running, and her eyes were wide with fear. She was worried that her master might find her, at any moment, and force her back to his side. The Prime scared her, but not as much as that possibility.

"Hey easy," Septimus said calmly, "where did you come from?"

Echo didn't answer; she just backed up against a wall, her axes at her sides. Ready for anything.

"It's ok, my name is Septimus Prime, and this is Prima. We won't hurt you. What was your name again?" Septimus asked.

"E…Echo. My name is Echo." She replied, with a small smile.

"Um… Echo?" Bumblebee interrupted the flashback.

She woke from the memory and turned her gaze to her partner. He was looking down at her, a worried expression on his face. She stared at him, dark rings forming under her eyes.

"We'll find him, Echo. I promise." He swore to her.

She smiled at him gratefully. She happy that he was so willing to help her, but she also felt bad that though they were bonded, she did not love him the way she loved Septimus. She never would love anyone that much, of that she was sure.

"I always meant to ask, but what was Septimus like? When he spoke to us earlier he laughed, something I never heard of a Prime doing, and I heard him sing with you." Bumblebee tried to cheer her up, sitting beside her.

"He was very different from the others. He was younger than them so he sometimes acted like a big teenager, which annoyed Prima to no end. He was also such a dork. Once we were exploring a snow covered planet, and Septimus just had to start a snowball fight with me, completely forgetting that we had a mission to do." Echo replied with a small laugh.

"Who won?" Bee asked smiling.

"I did. I hid under some deep snow, and then tripped him into a huge snowbank. He crawled out completely covered in snow. He looked like a very annoyed snow man, but I just stuck my tongue out at him." Echo answered loving to share the memory. It was one of her favorites.

"I bet he enjoyed that." Bee laughed.

"Oh, he just dumped all the snow on me, then walked away. The big goofball." Echo laughed sinking back into longing for that which she couldn't have, and had been stolen from her.

"He seems nice," Bee tried, noticing how much she missed Septimus.

"Yes, he was." She gave a faint- hearted laugh.

"We will find him, I promise you." Bee pledged.

"I won't stop until I do." She promised, returning to her search.

Bumblebee stood up, feeling hurt. Echo was pushing him away, he could feel it. She had one goal, and she didn't want his help, or anyone's. He left her alone, hoping she would remember that he was there for her.

Echo spent a few more hours trying to find any leads on where her Septimus had been taken. She gritted her teeth and growled in frustration as she came up with nothing. She needed to find Shockwave, but she couldn't do it without help, and she hated that. She then got an idea, but she knew that Bumblebee wouldn't like it. Septimus would not have liked it, but she was desperate enough to risk it.

She sent her work down, and got up. She started to run out of the scrapyard, but stopped just outside to look back to where her new partner, and friends were.

"I'm sorry, Bumblebee." She whispered as she ran off into the forest.

The next morning the rain was worse than ever. The scrapyard was under two feet of water, and now the bots had to slosh through the water to get the main command center; the humans had to paddle over in a kayak. Where Bumblebee had ordered them to meet him.

They stood in the pouring rain, waiting for Bee to tell them why he had called them together this time. He was pacing in front of the Alcamor, he hands on the back of his head, and a worried, confused look tearing across his face.

"Lieutenant?" Strongarm asked, touching his arm.

"Echo is gone." He announced stopping to look at her.

"She must have found a lead on Septimus." Slipstream guessed.

"Mm. I thought that too, but I just went over everything she did." Bumblebee corrected, "There is nothing that can tell us where she has gone."

"Maybe she went back to the tomb to look for clues." Strongarm suggested.

"No, Shockwave barely left the place standing she wouldn't go there." Bumblebee rubbed the back of his head in worry.

"Perhaps, Echo knows something that we do not. She is quite ancient you know." Drift said.

Bumblebee thought about this. Drift was right, Echo was thousands of years older than him. She most likely knew so many secrets, and many she probably learned from Septimus and the other Primes themselves. Secrets that she hadn't shared with him, and that frustrated him.

"I just thought she and I had a trust. I thought she was bonded to me." Bumblebee said confused, and slightly angry.

"Sir," Jetstorm interrupted, "Echo is bonded to you, and I do not believe that she left because she wanted to hurt you. She may have gone because, she was despite to find Septimus."

Bumblebee nodded. He was disappointed that after three years, Echo still loved Septimus more. Jealousy slowly began to eat away at him. He ordered his team to fan out and search for any sign of Echo.

Echo was actually nowhere near the scrapyard. She was miles away looking for someone she hoped would help her. She was close to where she had asked him to meet her through a secret communication link that Nexus Prime had taught her. She had spoken to his spark, and had begged him to meet her.

Now she was nearing the rondeaux point, and only hoped that he would be there. She walked into the clearing that she had asked him to meet her at. No one was there, so she decided to sit down and wait for him to arrive. She was not disappointed, when she heard the engines of a Cybertronian jet heading toward her from the other side of the clearing. She stood up, and faced the sound.

The jet was hovering just above the clearing, but slowly lowered its altitude until it was just above the ground. Then it transformed into a sinister, tall robot. He landed on his feet, causing the ground to shake with his weight. He was built like a gladiator, which was fitting, because that is actually what he used to be.

It was Megatron former leader of the Decepticons, until he was possessed by the evil God Unicron, and had a change of spark. Now he was a self-exiled wanderer. Echo had asked him here, so she could find out if he knew where Shockwave might be. He stomped up to Echo, and gazed down at her as if trying to intimidate her. Echo just smiled, and nodded gratefully to him.

"Megatron, thank you for meeting me." Echo greeted him.

"The legendary Echo. So you were the one who spoke to my spark, and called me here." He replied with a rough voice.

"I asked you here, so I could ask if you might know where Shockwave is."

"What for? What has he done now?" Megatron sneered.

"He broke into my Septimus's tomb, and stole his body from within. For what purpose, I do not know." Echo answered with confidence.

Megatron actually looked shocked by her answer, but only for a moment. Then he put a hand on his hip, and rubbed his chin with his other hand. He was aware that the other Prime's tombs had also been raided of their occupants, and that the Cybertronians were furious at whoever had done it.

"A pity the poor fool then," Megatron chuckled, "For he has no idea the power he is dabbling in."

"Nor does he know the lengths I will go to, to get my Septimus back." Echo said seriously.

She was not afraid of the warlord. She had killed Cybertronians far bigger, and more powerful than him, like the Predicons she and Septimus helped destroy in the cataclysm.

"As history has clearly shown." Megatron chuckled again.

Echo smiled briefly, then she heard the familiar sound of Bumblebee's engine in the far distance, coming closer.  
"Megatron I don't have much time, please. Do you have any idea where Shockwave is, or what he might want with Septimus?" Echo pleaded.

"I don't know where he is, but as to what he might want with the Primes. Some dark energon did go missing right before my demise. I thought, Starscream the thief, but after what you have just told me. I no longer believe this is the case. Whatever his plan might be, it will not end well."

"Well, thank you for your time." Echo said before she ran back into the woods.

Echo hid in the trees, so the Autobots would not find her, and thought about what Megatron had told her. Dark energon? She knew full well what it did, and how dangerous it was. She also thought about when Megatron said, the Primes, instead of just Septimus.

"Of course, Shockwave didn't just take Septimus he took all of them. By the Allspark, he is trying to bring them back, but why?" Echo said to herself.

"Maybe you would like to come down here, and tell us about it." Bumblebee called to her from below the tree she was hiding in.

She looked down, and saw all the Autobots under her tree. They were watching her from below, and Bumblebee looked very angry with her. Echo didn't come down, she just shook her head.

"I found out what Shockwave is doing to Septimus, and the other twelve Primes as well." Echo said.

"Really do you want to tell me how, or are you going to keep that from me too." Bumblebee asked bitterly, folding his arms.

"Bumblebee, I am sorry I ran off, but I had to find out what Shockwave was up to. I didn't want you to…" Echo started.

"You didn't want me to what, get in your way." Bee snapped.

"No, I just didn't want you to have any reason to doubt my intentions. How did you find me?" Echo contradicted him, jumping down from her perch.

"We tracked you by your power signature," Strongarm answered, "you are so powerful that you stood out like a lantern."

Echo nodded, pursing her lips. It made sense, she was just glad that they hadn't caught her talking to Megatron; that would have been hard to explain.

"So what did you find out on your little adventure?" Bumblebee asked Echo still mad.

"That Shockwave has not only broken into my Septimus's tomb, but also the tombs of the other original Primes. He also has dark energon, and plans to resurrect them." Echo reported.

Bumblebee completely forgot that he was angry. If Shockwave was bringing back the Primes that meant that soon all thirteen would soon be alive again, and most likely not going to be on their side. Then he realized that if Shockwave was going to use the Primes, there would be no one who could stand in his way.

"Did you find out where he took them, and how did you find that out?" Bee asked this time more concerned.

"No, I didn't, and I met with Megatron" Echo replied.

"You did what!?" Drift gasped.

"I wanted to see if he might know where Shockwave was." Echo explained, "He didn't know where he was, but he did give me some other helpful information. I now have a way to find Shockwave."

"Ok, how?" Grimlock asked confused.

"Just give me a second," Echo said, "I can't track Septimus, but I can track dark energon."

Echo closed her dark blue eyes, and took a deep breath. She clinched her fists around her axes, then a strange purple haze began to form around her. She opened her eyes, and seemed to look passed the Autobots, the Earth, and off into some unknown realm. Her eyes changed color from blue to purple, like she had dark energon flowing through her body. Suddenly the haze around her faded and her eyes returned to normal. She blinked and rubbed her optics, then looked up at her Bots.

"He has them on Cybertron. Septimus is with them." Echo said.

"What did you just do?" Sideswipe asked Echo astonished.

"I looked through time and space to find the dark energon. A trick I actually learned from Primus himself. He showed me how to find the blood of his brother by looking past everything else, and to just see what I need to." She explained.

"Cool, so you can find Dark energon anywhere in the universe?" he asked again.

"Yes, and other types too." She smiled.

"You saw the dark energeon, but how did you know it was the stuff Shockwave was using, and not just some deposit in the middle of nowhere?" Strongarm asked this time.

"Because I looked specifically for Shockwave's supply. He only has enough for the thirteen of them, but that is all he needs to concur all of Cybertron, and Earth. I fought beside most of the Primes, I know what they can do." Echo replied.

"Then we had better, call Cybertron, and warn them of what Shockwave is up to." Bumblebee ordered them to return to the scrapyard, and told Fix-it to also send a call to Optimus Prime too.

Optimus was the last living Prime, but that was very shortly not going to be true anymore. Bumblebee thought it would be a good idea to have him here in case there was a fight. He was also worried about Echo, Septimus was about to come back to life. He hoped she wouldn't do anything foolish, because she was going to see him again soon.

Chapter 4- alive

Septimus slowly open his eyes, and looked around. He felt strange like something wrong was flowing through him, and that he was not supposed to be there.

The lab was bare, only piles of scrap metal, and moister on the floor. He could see his brothers around him, strapped to tables in the same way he was. Suddenly the restraints on his wrists and ankles retracted into the table and he slipped off onto the floor. His legs didn't remember how to support him though, so he feel to his knees. It took him a moment, but his legs began to recall their old strength, and he got to his feet.

The other Primes had similar difficulty getting to their feet, but once they did find their feet, they stood proudly over the small Decepticon who was also in the room. When they saw him, something in their bodies recognized him as their master, and they bowed to him.

"Command us as you will, master." Said Prima, the first and oldest of the Primes.

Shockwave nodded with approval. He had done it, he now had control over the most powerful warriors in history. There was no one who could hope to stop him now. Just then the doors to his lab burst down, and some Cybertronian police rushed in. They gasped when they saw the Primes, and stopped dead in their tracks.

Shockwave thought this a perfect moment to test out his power over the Primes, and ordered them to kill the squad of police. The poor officers never made it back to the surface, they were torn apart by the ones they respected above all others. Shockwave then decided to test them further, he opened his space bridge again. This time with every intension on drawing out the one Prime he didn't have control over.

He knew Optimus had a soft spot for the little fleshy bugs, Earth's indigenous species, and that if he smooshed enough of them. Optimus would come running to his death. He commanded the Primes to move out, and they obediently did so.

Septimus's mind was confused at what he had just done to the officers, but he didn't know why. He also felt like there was someone he wanted to see, but he couldn't remember who. He walked through the space bridge, hoping that he would find whoever it was he was longing for.

Optimus was horrified to learn of what Shockwave had done. He roared in anger of the desecration to his brothers, and to the tomb Echo had spent eons carving. She was happy he had come to Earth so quickly, even if they both knew it would not be enough to stop Shockwave.

He had arrived shortly before the Primes were resurrected, and Bumblebee had told him what happened. He had never seen Optimus so furious about anything. His brothers forced to be slaves to the will of a madman was something he couldn't hide his anger over.

Suddenly Echo gasped, and clutched her chest. She fell to the ground, started to twitch in the still soaking dirt. Bumblebee yelped and ran to her, she stopped spazuming, and looked up at her partner with wide blue eyes.

"Septimus." She said, then fell unconscious.

Bumblebee picked her up out of the mud, and held her like a child, as he turned back to Optimus. The Prime also had a hand over his spark, and a confused look in his eyes.

"What happened? What is wrong with you guys?" Bee asked Optimus, wiping mud off of Echo's body.

"A feeling; like as if a great power was taken from me. My brothers are awake." Optimus replied hoarsely.

"Why did Echo feel it more than you?"

"I do not know. She shouldn't have been able to feel anything at all. She is not one of us, it might be that because she was so connected to Septimus, that she felt it when he came back."

Bumblebee bit his lip, his jealously and envy returning. Now she could feel, when Septimus was alive or not. What had he done to her to earn all her love like this? Bumblebee was losing her to Septimus, who most likely would try to kill her on sight. To make it worse Echo's armor began to change color, from the yellow and black she had adopted when she bonded to him, back to the deep blue, and silver that she was when she was Septimus's. His sword, which was hanging onto Bee's back also began to shake and change back to how Septimus had it.

It became too long and almost made Bumblebee fall over, but Optimus caught him. Bee took the sword from his back, and stared at it with growing anger. Now even his weapon was rejecting him. He started to hate Septimus for being alive again.

Echo's eyelids flickered, and she came around. She looked from Bumblebee, to herself, and then to the Sword. Her eyes glowed with a sad light, she knew why they had both changed back. She knew who she belonged to, who the sword belonged to, and it wasn't Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee I am so sorry." She apologized "I still belong to Septimus, and so does the sword. He is the one I have given everything I am to. I have to go to him."

"No, he will kill you." Optimus protested.

"Septimus would never hurt me. Our link is stronger than Shockwave can hope to control." Echo argued.

Bumblebee set her down on the ground, and turned his back to her. She touched his leg, but he just moved away.

"So much for your loyalty to me. Well go then, if you really think he will know you are, go." Bumblebee snapped angrily.

Echo flinched hurt by his words, but she knew where she belonged. Bee threw the sword into the mud beside her, as if he hated holding it now.

"Take this too. I don't need ether of you." He hissed.

Echo looked sad, as she touched the blade, and it shank to her size. Then she ran off into the woods, not bothering to look back.

Optimus slapped Bumblebee on his head, and gave him the, what were you thinking, look. Bee turned away from him, just as he had Echo, but Optimus just grabbed his shoulder and turned back toward him.

"You must go after her. Her love for Septimus has caused her to be naïve, and foolish. Septimus no longer knows who she is, he will slaughter her. Then he will once again hold his sword, and we will not stand a chance." He warned Bee seriously.

"She made her choice a long time ago. She never was going to be mine, she just lied about wanting to move on." Bee claimed.

"Echo, didn't lie. She meant what she said, and she will hold to that promise before this is over."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

"We have to catch her before she gets hurt, or worse."

Bumblebee and Optimus transformed, then sped off after Echo, the other Autobots close behind.

Chapter 5 when a heart breaks.

Septimus, and the others were crushing a small human town, not far from where the scrapyard was. Septimus didn't know why he felt so bad when he squashed one of the fleshes under his foot. The others didn't seem to have a problem with it, so why did he feel this way.

He had a huge mace that he was using to destroy the human's dwellings, and to crush them to paste. He still felt conflicted like he shouldn't be doing this, but Shockwave was in command, and he couldn't disobey him.

The sound of car engines made the Primes turn toward the sound. There were several Autobots entering the town, and they seemed somehow familiar to Septimus, but he didn't know how. He had never seen them before. They saw all the dead humans, and looked at him in horror. They took defensive positions, at the command of the bots was a smaller yellow bot, so Septimus assumed he was the leader.

The Primes gathered in front of Shockwave to defend him against the Autobots. A small blur ran out from under the Autobots legs, and weaved its way through the legs of the Primes. It was a tall blue Minicon, that seemed very familiar to Septimus, and his spark burned with joy, but he had no clue why.

Echo raced straight to Septimus and launched herself off the ground, her arms raised for him to catch her, and hug her, the way he used to. Septimus panicked, and slapped the Minicon away with the back of his hand. She flew back toward the Autobots, the yellow one jumped and caught her out of the air.

The Minicon was knocked out, and lay limp in his arms. Her armor partially crashed by the impact. Septimus looked at the Minicon in confusion. Why did she come at him like that, it was not out of aggression? It was out of excitement, but why was it excited to die, was it stupid?

"Echo?" the yellow Autobot called to her, afraid for her.

The sound of her name was so familiar, Septimus thought he could almost remember someone by that name. She was so familiar, and he was somehow overjoyed to see her, and now that he saw how hurt she was, he wanted to rush to her, and beg her forgiveness. He was so confused, he held his head in his hands, and rubbed his optics.

The Autobots retreated into the woods, taking the Minicon with them. The Primes transformed into various vehicles, and pursued them. Septimus hesitated for a moment, wondering why the Minicon was so dear to him, even though he couldn't remember ever knowing her.

Echo woke up to Bumblebee's frightened face leaning over her. Her body was sore and her armor was almost completely destroyed. The pain she felt in her spark was worse than any her body was going through. Septimus had hurt her, he had looked right through her, and he didn't recognize her.

Tears rolled down her face, and she painfully turned over away from Bee. She softly sobbed, her heart as crushed as her armor. Her blue energon oozed out of her wounds, and mixed with the water on the ground. The rain had stopped because Shockwave was no longer siphoning energy from Earth's atmosphere, but right now Echo wished it would start again, and hide her tears.

"Echo, you scared me to death, are you ok?" Bumblebee asked her truly concerned for her.

"No." she whispered through her sobbing.

"We tried to warn you. He doesn't know you." Optimus's voice came from behind Bumblebee.

"I thought he would," Echo cried softly, "He wasn't the Septimus I knew. He never would have done those things to those humans, or to… me."

"He just doesn't remember. All he knows is what Shockwave has programmed him to know, and I saw his face after he hurt you. It was like he hated himself for it, but didn't know why. Echo I think your Septimus is in there somewhere, he just doesn't know it." Bee tried to encourage her.

Echo shook her head, closing her eyes. "My Septimus died years ago, Megatronus killed him, and now they are both fighting for Shockwave, but they still died. Septimus died."

"Lieutenant Bumblebee. Shockwave is advancing on the scrapyard, he is going to kill us all." Fit-it's panicked voice warned.

"We have to go," Optimus advised leaving to defend the front gate.

"Go Bee, I am too injured to help you. You need to get to the gate." Echo barked, still crying.

"Echo, whatever it's worth, I loved fighting beside you, and I will try to get Septimus back for you. No matter what." He promised her, before chasing after Optimus.

Echo laid there, and cried. She was hurt, so hurt she knew that if she went to battle, she would go to her death. She thought back to when she and Septimus became bonded. It was not long after they met. She had led him to where her master was hiding. When her old master was trying to kill Septimus to impress Megatronus, he actually forced the Prime who had been kind to her to drop his sword. Her master was about to slice off his head, when she jumped onto his back, and sank her teeth into his neck. Echo wanted to save the Prime, even if she might die trying.

Her master screamed and tried to pull her off, so he could kill her. Echo jumped back to the ground, and ran from her master. He chased her, forgetting about Septimus. He caught Echo by her leg and held her upside-down in front of his face. She struggled, but there was nothing she could do.

"I should have snuffed you years ago, you traitorous little…argh!" He gurgled as Septimus stabbed him from behind.

He dropped Echo, she flipped, and landed on her feet gracefully. Septimus pulled his blade out of her former master's back, and let the jerk fall over sideways. He came over to Echo, and knelt before her, sticking the tip of his sword in the ground for support.

"Are you all right?" He asked her.

"Yes, I am fine." She answered happy to be free of her master forever.

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Septimus laughed.

"Yes, I guess we do."

"If you are looking for someone to be your new host, there is a pretty good looking volunteer right here."

Echo nodded eagerly, and climbed onto his arm for the first time. He stood up, and looked at her on his shoulder. He smiled, his green eyes shining.

"Echo, I believe this is a Friendship that will go down in history." Septimus grinned.

"I would like that. Septimus Prime." Echo laughed with him.

"And we did, Septimus, we did." Echo sobbed returning to the present.

She couldn't let Bumblebee face Septimus alone, even if it meant she would die. She had been longing for death almost as long, as Septimus. She wanted to be with him again, but now, even though she knew that she wouldn't. She would stop Shockwave regardless, and in the end, she would finally find peace.

Echo got to her feet ignoring the pain in her limbs, and jumped off the table she had been on. She could hear fighting by the gate, and ran toward it, nothing left to loose.

Chapter 6- remembering the hard way.

Septimus grappled with the yellow bot he had seen earlier in the town. The boy was strong, but nowhere near experienced enough to beat him. He pushed against Bumblebee forcing him to his knees, so that Bee couldn't do anything.

"Septimus, this isn't who you are. Who any of you are. Don't listen to Shockwave!" Bumblebee yelled out if the desperate hope to restore the Prime to himself.

"I don't know who I am," Septimus replied coldly, "only that you must die."

"Please try to Remember, Echo needs you back." Bee pleaded.

"Echo? That Minicon, that tried to kill me earlier? Why would she need me?"

"She wasn't trying to kill you, she was trying to hug you. She loves you more than Shockwave, or you know."

"I don't know her. How could she love me?"

"Because she belongs to you. You just don't remember, because Shockwave doesn't want you to."

Septimus said nothing. He did for some reason care for the Minicon, but he didn't know why. He shook his head, as a small memory of him throwing Echo through the ground bridge, saying goodbye to her, and turning to have Megatronus's spear drive through his chest flooded his mind. He touched the spot on his chest where the spear had pierced him. There was a wielding scar, from where Echo had mended his wound, when she brought him into the tomb.

The memory confused him further. He had died saving her, why? What history did they have? Septimus considered letting the boy up so he could tell him more, but then Bee punched Septimus in the gut, making the Prime stumble back.

"You will regret that boy." Septimus barked at Bumblebee.

"Only if you catch me first." Bee yelled, transforming, and raced away further into the scrapyard.

Septimus growled and transformed into a tough looking Chevy Silverado truck. He chased after Bumblebee, growing angrier with him, at every turn. Bumblebee led Septimus to a spot in the scrapyard where he had set a trap, to catch the Prime. He had to find a way to make Septimus remember, so he could keep his promise to Echo, to get her Septimus back.

When Bee got near the trap, he transformed and hid behind one of the storage racks, and waited for Septimus. Unfortunately Septimus had guessed what Bee was doing, and had gone around the other way. He grabbed Bumblebee by the throat from his side. He slammed Bee into the ground. He took his sword from Bumblebee's hand. Bee had gotten it back from Echo after she had gotten hurt, and had tried to summon the army of fire like Optimus had, to help them. But it didn't work, because it no longer recognized him as its master.

Septimus stood over Bumblebee, his sword gleaming in the sun. Septimus lunged forward with all his strength, and he would have run Bee through, if the sword hadn't buried itself into a blue round shield that had thrown itself before Bumblebee. Echo had jumped onto Bumblebee, and had used herself to stop Septimus's blade from killing him. Septimus and Bumblebee stared at her in amazement. She transformed and looked up at Septimus, then smiled painfully. She went limp and fell off Bumblebee onto the dirt.

A sudden flood of memories started to rush back to Septimus, as he pulled his sword from Echo's body. From the day he was created, to the day he met Echo, and to the present moment. He screamed in horror at what he had done, and dropped to her side, throwing his sword away like it was poisonous.

The other Primes had heard his cry, and came running to his aid, but froze when the saw him leaning over the body of Echo as she lay bleeding on the ground. Their memories of her also returned, and they looked down in deep sorrow over the brave Minicon, that they had fought beside. The Autobots, and Shockwave soon followed. The Autobots gasped when they saw Echo, but Shockwave just laughed.

"How poetic, the legendary Echo killed by the one she loves most." He chuckled cruelly.

Septimus stood his face burning with anger. He kicked Shockwave in the knee, causing the villain to drop to his injured knee, with a yelp. Septimus held out his hand, and his sword flew to him as if it was just as furious about what it had just done. Septimus raised the blade high, and let it hover for a moment.

"This is for my Echo!" Septimus cried as he plunged his sword into Shockwave's one red eye.

Shockwave screamed in agony, before his spark went out, and he fell backward. Septimus left the blade in the Decepticon's eye, and returned to Echo. Dropping back to his knees, Septimus's hands hovered over Echo's body, as if his was afraid, that he would hurt her again if he dared touch her. She shuttered, and raised her head to look back up at him.

"Echo, I am so sorry. What have I done? I never meant to…" Septimus stammered.

"There you are." She coughed, her voice weak with pain.

"Here I am." He replied, finally picking her up and holding her close to his face.

"I knew you were still in there, and that I hadn't lost you." Echo moaned.

"You did for a while, I didn't remember you." Septimus said.

"No, you still did even if you didn't know why. I never lost you, and I never will." Echo corrected him touching his cheek.

"Echo." Septimus started to feel her energy fade, and knew she wasn't going to last much longer.

"Sing with me." She whispered her eyes growing dim.

Septimus did as she asked, and started a song quietly. He sang in a low sad voice, his words describing his fear of what was about to happen. Echo joined in adding her sweet voice into his sad melody. Their song brought tears into the eyes of all who heard it, even Megatronus who was slipping out of the scrapyard, was touched by their beautiful voices. The rhythm came to an end, when Echo shuttered in Septimus's arms, and then relaxed. Her voice stopped, and the deep blue light of her eyes ceased its gentle glow.

Septimus pressed her lifeless body against his neck, praying that her arms would hug him again, one last time. But her arms hung limply at her sides, unable to move, and would never do so again. Septimus cried harder, as he silently wished her a safe journey to wherever she was going, and begged her to forgive him.

"I am so sorry Echo." He whispered once more then brought her down from his neck.

"Is she?" Bumblebee choked back his own tears, as he sat up.

Septimus nodded, confirming Bee's worst fear. She had given her life for him, and she had saved him from Septimus. He wished he could tell her thank you for her sacrifice, but now he would never get the chance. She was gone, and she was not coming back the way Septimus did.

Chapter 7- a happy ending for Echo.

The Primes stayed to help Septimus rebuild his tomb. They cleared away the rubble, repaired the carvings, and mended the Sarcophagus that Septimus had once laid in. Once the tomb was put back together, the Primes, including Optimus stood in a line, as Septimus entered the tomb, carrying Echo's still body in his hands.

The Primes formed into two lines on either side of him, and bowed in respect to the Minicon that they had come to honor, and had rescued them from Shockwave's control. A smaller sarcophagus had been set beside the one meant for Septimus. He gently set her down in the new stone coffin, brushing her cheek before he retracted hands.

"Goodbye, it not a word I ever wanted to say to you again." Septimus said to Echo's spirit, "My beautiful little Echo."

Bumblebee walked over to the sarcophagus, and looked down at Echo wiping tears from his eyes.

"You saved my life, and I never got to say thank you. Thank you Echo, for everything." He whispered to her, wherever she was.

Suddenly a flood of noise filled the chamber as hundreds of Minicons drifted into the tomb. They were all holding different colored lanterns, as they shuffled into the already crowded room. Drift's two students came forth out of the sea of Minicons, and laid their lanterns on the floor before Echo's grave.

"She will not be forgotten." Jetstorm assured Septimus.

"We will always keep her in our sparks. Echo will forever live on in our memories, and songs." Slipstream added.

Septimus smiled, and nodded as a sign his gratitude for their gift to her. He gestured to Bumblebee, they lifted the lid of the coffin, then the slid it over Echo sealing her inside.

"Goodbye, my dearest friend." Septimus whispered as the last glimpse of her disappeared under the stone lid.

They all stayed to pay their final respects to Echo, but then one by one they exited the tomb. Once it was only Septimus, Bumblebee, and Optimus, Bee asked Septimus if he was going to come with them back to the scrapyard.

"No, I think I will stay here for a while longer. I am not ready to leave her just yet." Septimus refused.

"Alright, just don't spend the next four thousand years in here." Bee joked, but then wished he hadn't.

He no longer hated Septimus, he knew Echo had kept her word, just like Optimus said she would. Now she belonged to Septimus again, and would forevermore. He didn't blame Septimus for that.

"Sorry that was cruel. I didn't mean it." he apologized.

"I know what you meant." Septimus faked a smile to cheer Bumblebee up.

Optimus led Bee out, knowing that Septimus needed some time alone. Septimus sat on his coffin and looked down at the one that now held Echo. He wiped away some tears from his green eyes, but they kept coming anyway.

"I will never forgive myself for what I did to you Echo. I can't begin to say how I wish I could take it back. I never wanted to hurt you, and now I have killed you. I am sorry, Echo, I am so sorry." Septimus wept.

"I forgive you." Echo's voice said from beside him on his Sarcophagus.

Septimus's head snapped around to look at her, just as he had once appeared to her when he was dead. She now sat beside him in a shadowy likeness of herself. Her form was dark, and kept shifting as if she were unstable.

"Septimus." She said smiling happily.

He gazed at her sadly. He inched a hand toward her, nervous to touch her. Echo just shook her head in amusement, and jumped straight into his arms, her form solidifying in mid-air. Septimus smiled, glad to be holding her once more.

"Echo, I am so sorry." Septimus he apologized sobbing.

"I know, but it is ok. I am ok now." She cried with him.

"How are you here? You're not a Prime, how are you doing this Echo?" Septimus asked bringing her back to his face.

"Primus. He made an exception." She answered.

"You… you are in the realm of the Primes. He let you in?" Septimus gasped happily.

"Yup, now I can see you again. We will be together when you die, again." Echo laughed with joy, and hugged Septimus again.

Septimus didn't know what to say. She was in the realm reserved for Primes only, because of her sacrifice, and loyalty, she had been allowed to enter. He would see her again, and this brought the most indescribable joy to his spark.

"He made a wise choice." Septimus said.

"So did I. When I chose you. I love you so much, Septimus." Echo replied pressing her forehead to Septimus's.

"I love you too, Echo, and I always will." He promised.

Echo smiled as she began to fade again. She touched Septimus on the cheek, and wiped his tears for him.

"I will be waiting for you, you big dork. Until then, I will miss you just as much as before." Echo whispered as she disappeared completely.

Septimus was once again alone in the tomb, but his tears were no longer tears of sorrow, but were now tears of joy. Echo was safe, she got the happy ending that he had always wanted for her. To find peace, and to be happy. He would be with her again, and he took comfort in knowing she would be right there waiting for him when it came his turn again.

"Thank you Primus, my father," Septimus said a grateful prayer, "watch over her for me, please. She means everything to me." He got no answer, but he knew that even without one. Echo would be ok.

Septimus stood, and exited the tomb, his soul burning with delight; that his best friend had forgiven him. He was surprised to find the tunnel lined with the Minicons' lanterns, and the whole countryside around the ship was shimmering with thousands of different colored lights. Over the hills, on the mountains, and in all the trees.

"Look at what they did for you." Septimus said, breath taken at the incredible beauty.

The lights lit his way, as he made his way down to the path back to the Scrapyard. He noticed, one lantern had been left unlit in one of the trees. He walked over to it, and gently took it down from its branch. There was a small inscription etched into the small blue lantern.

 _For all of time, I will always be yours Sep- Echo._ The inscription read. It was the promise she had given him when she had become his Shield for the first time.

"You always were, tiny." He laughed quietly, using his nickname for Echo, lighting the lantern, and returning it to its place.

The light from the lantern seemed to burn brighter than the others, and as it laminated the forest with its deep blue glow. Septimus transformed, and drove away, leaving the lantern shinning behind him.

As he drove, he let his memories of Echo take over. The day she had won their snowball fight, and tackled him after he brushed the snow that was on his shoulders onto her. They rolled down the snow covered hill, and rolled, laughing, straight into Prima, knocking him over. They ran from him, falling, and tripping over the snow. They hid from Prima behind a spire of ice, snickering. Septimus chuckled at the memory, for it was his favorite.

Chapter 8- Septimus's choice.

He arrived at the scrapyard, and noticed that the other Primes were waiting for him. He transformed and straightened his back, trying to look like what he was, something he knew Echo would tease him about. Prima rolled his eyes, and smirked.

Septimus walked over to them, and thanked his brothers for helping to give Echo a proper burial. Then he proceeded to tell them the wonderful news about where she was. They started with surprise, even Prima looked shocked. Drift's Minicons gasped excitedly, they were standing with their master behind the Primes.

"Thank Primus, she made it. The greatest of us all!" they cheered.

"She most certainly was." Septimus laughed happily, then smiled when he noticed Micronus's face of annoyance, he was a Minicon too, not to mention a Prime like him.

"Yeah, I said it, deal with it," Septimus grinned at him.

Micronus folded his arms, and looked offended. Septimus just bounced his eyebrows playfully, flashing his green eyes. He saw Bumblebee by the edge of the scrapyard, his head hanging sadly. He excused himself from his brothers, and walked over to the young Autobot leader.

Bumblebee heard him coming and tried to quickly wipe away the tears he was shedding. Septimus saw however, and put a hand of Bee's shoulder.

"I am grateful for the way you cared for Echo, while I was… well." Septimus said casually.

"I just can't believe that she sacrificed herself for me, and chose to protect me over you." Bee replied to the Prime.

"That she did, Echo knew what she needed to do. That's why she always took point on our missions, because I, half the time, had no clue what to do. I was going to kill you, so she did what she had to, to save her friend."

"Why was she so strong? I mean she was just like every Mini that came after her. What happened to make her that powerful?" Bee asked curious. It had been a question that had been on his mind for ages but never found the right time to ask.

"She was one of Micronus's first creations, and he wanted her to be an example to build the others off of. He didn't expect her former host to be so cruel to her though. She knew what she needed to do, like I said before. She pushed herself to become stronger than any other Minicon alive, so that her master would not kill her for being weak. I don't think she realized how it cost her." Septimus answered.

"Cost her?" Bee cocked his head.

"Her strength came from her spark, and as she pushed herself further, her spark would nearly burn out. She never stopped though, and eventually her spark adjusted. She became stronger than even her maker, something that annoyed him greatly." Septimus explained further.

"So what are you going to do? You and the Primes." Bee asked more seriously.

He slightly hoped that Septimus would stay, and tell him more about Echo. He liked Septimus, Echo was right, he was very different from the other Primes, and Bee felt that they would be good friends.

"I don't know," Septimus replied, shrugging his shoulders, "My brothers are thinking of returning to Cybertron to help rebuild, but without Echo. I am not sure what I will do."

"Well, you could stay. My team, and I could use your experience. Then you could also be close to Echo." Bee suggested hopefully.

Septimus pursed his lips, and thought about it. He looked around the scrapyard, then noticed birds bathing in the puddle of engergon, that marked the spot where Echo had died. He felt sick, then shook his head.

"No, I don't think that would be good for me. I killed her here, I would hate every moment I was here. I think I shall keep moving, and see what comes my way. You are a good kid, Bumblebee, I think your team will do just fine without me." Septimus said calmly.

Bee nodded, disappointed. He understood though, Septimus was not one to stay put. He needed to find peace with himself after he had killed Echo. Bee let Septimus go, and Drift even let him have his ship.

Septimus left earth his spark excited to face whatever the universe threw at him. He wished that Echo was with him, but he took comfort in the knowledge that she was waiting for him. He smiled, and let the ship's engines carry him into the unknown.

THE END 


End file.
